Chris Hardwick, who has perfected the art of panel moderation, led the charge.

First and foremost, after a brief round with the producers each promising that this season would indeed be more intense and high stakes than the last, a lengthy (almost four minute) trailer was screened which you can enjoy for yourself HERE.

If that trailer is anything to go by, then we can take the producers at their word. "It's an escalation. The world is getting worse, people are getting more ragged," Kirkman said, and indeed, that looks to be the case. As we noted on our live stream today, it looks as if new addition Bob Stookey, played by The Wire's Larry Gilliard Jr., will be a central part of the group.

Stookey was described as an alcoholic loner who is "haunted by his past," when the casting announcement was released. In the comic he is a former Army medic/resident of Woodbury who saves the Governor's life after Michonne tortures him. One has to wonder if we will circle around to a new confrontation between Rick and The Governor, or even The Governor and Michonne, at some point this season.

Of course characters in the show are often introduced in ways that diverge from the comic, as was the case with Tyreese, who is also heavily featured in the trailer, and was a member of the panel for the first time after being promoted to a series regular at the close of last season.

Hardwick kicked off the cast questions with the one that many had on their mind after the finale: "Why stay at the prison? Why not head back to Woodbury" Lincoln didn't provide an answer, but he did say that one would be forthcoming. The actor went on to say that we would be seeing quite a turn for his character this coming season as, "Carl becoming a sociopath" has reminded Rick that he's got some parental responsibilities, and he will be passing on some of his leadership role for the sake of his children.

Michonne will be more of an integrated part of the community this year, but still a warrior, and on a horse, no less! We can expect to see Glenn and Maggie's relationship to continue to evolve. "Interestingly, all that from the Governor propelled a whole new journey for her this year," Cohan said. "So it was a really good springboard for a stronger cat."

Tyreese, a character that many fans have been waiting to see more of, will indeed be a more present force. Much of this year will be about him trying to find his place in the group. "I sense that he really needs a strong reasoning behind why he does what he does," Coleman says of the character, "but this world just won't let him go that way, and eventually, a can of whoop-ass might get popped open."

As far as The Governor's return is concerned, Kirkman says that, "all bets are off with him. How he returns, when he returns, and what he's doing when he returns is going to be a pretty big mystery this season." Dave Alpert said that The Governor had been going along with his behavior reaping him rewards for the bulk of last season and then got some "negative reinforcement" at the season's close. As Morrissey puts is, "a switch goes off in his head," and now he will have to deal with what that switch is.

As for fan favorite Darryl, he will, as expected, be dealing with the loss of his brother this season. Reedus says that he feels his character was in some ways "doomed to become mini-Merle," before the events of the zombie apocalypse, but is now free to find his own identity and sense of self-worth. Darryl doesn't have to stay with the group to survive, he notes, but does so because they are the glue that keeps him on the earth. They are the family that he never had.